Toilet paper dispenser



July 25, 1961 SWEENEY 2,993,658

TOILET PAPER DISPENSER Filed Oct. 15, 1959 IN VEN TOR.

l/flkl'tk E. Swawar.

United States Patent 2,993,658 TOILET PAPER DISPENSER v Hatter E. Sweeney, 1721 Charles St., Lafayette, Ind.

Filed Oct. 15, 1959, Ser. No. 846,574 3 Claims. (Cl. 242-553) A further object of the invention is to provide a toilet paper dispenser incorporating means for notifying one viewing the dispenser that there is only one roll of paper in the dispenser so that a second roll may be placed 'within the dispenser.

Another object of the invention is to provide a toilet paper dispenser which offers little resistance to the paying out of paper therefrom and which may be easily operated to place a second roll of toilet paper in dispensing position when a first roll is exhausted.

Still further objects and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a toilet paper dispenser which includes a container constructed for holding a first roll of paper in position for dispensing the paper. The container has a front wall pivotally mounted at the bottom thereof upon the container for closing the forward end of the container. A bracket is fixed to the front Wall for holding a second roll of paper. The front wall is so balanced with respect to its pivotal mounting and the bracket is secured to the front wall in such a manner that the wall is held in container front closing relation by a roll of paper on the bracket and pivots to open the container front when there is no roll of paper on the bracket so as to notify a person viewing. the dispenserthat an additional roll'of paper should be inserted within the container.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims: i

FIG. 1 is a perspective view-of a dispensing device constructed according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a section taken along the plane 22 of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the dispenser of FIGS. 1 and 2 showing the dispenser with its front wall in a horizontal open position.

Referring now to the drawings, this invention comprises a generally rectangular container 10 having a top 11 pivotally secured thereto at 12 and having a front wall 15 pivotally secured by its lower end to the side walls 1616 of the container. The side walls 16 are parallel to one another and have in their mutually facing surfaces 117, a pair of vertically extending slots 2020 which are directly opposite from one another. The slots 20 extend from the upper edges of the side walls 16 downwardly to points spaced from the bottom of the side walls so as to form ledges 21 for supporting a dowel or axle such as 22 received within the cylindrical central aperture in a roll of toilet paper.

The front wall 15 has fixed thereto a bracket. or hook, indicated generally by the numeral 23, which has 'a portion 25 which extends generally horizontally between the side walls when the front wall 15 is in a vertical position. The free end 24 of the portion 25 is curved downwardly so as to prevent the bracket from tearing paper Patented July 25,1961

. v 2 rolls passing adjacent thereto. A pair of horizontal slots 26-extend from the forward ends of the side walls 16 to intersect the vertically extending slots 20. It should be noted that neither the slots 20 nor the slots 26 extend completely through the side walls.

The dispenser may be loaded either from the top or from the front. In order to load from the top, the dispenser must be mounted in such a manner that it is not contained within a recess which might prevent or hinder access to the top of the dispenser. Assuming, for example, that the dispenser is mounted with its back wall 27 fixed to a vertical wall, the top 11 is pivoted upwardly so that a roll of toilet-paper may be inserted within the container in such a manner that a dowel or axle extending through the cardboard tube in the center of the roll will be received inthe upper ends of the vertically extending slots 20. By grasping and pulling the handle 28, the front wall 15is pivoted'o'utwardly and downwardly to apositio'n wherein the bracket 23 does not'interfere with the pass-age of the roll of toilet paper downwardly within the container. The roll will move downwardly until the dowel within the roll engages the ledges 21 at the lower ends of the vertical slots. The paper roll 30 is shown in such a position. In this position, toilet paper may be drawn from the roll 30 in conventional manner and through the open lower end! 29 of the dispenser.

A second roll of paper may then be loaded into the dispenser in the manner illustrated in FIG. 2, wherein the roll 31 is shown uponthe bracket 23 with the dowel 32 being received in horizontal slots 26. Alternatively, the second r011 may be loaded within the dispenser by opening the top 11 and dropping the roll downwardly with its dowel passing through the vertical slots 20. No matter which of these two methods of loading is used, the final position of the secondroll will be such that the roll is resting upon the bracket 23, the front wall 15 is extending vertically and the dowel within the roll is received within the vertical slot 20.

Assuming now that the-roll 30 becomes exhausted, its

cardboard core tube 33 and its dowel 22 may be removed from the device by tilting the dowel 22 and by 'giving it'a slight upward andv twisting motion whereby the dowel 22 and tube 33 may bewithdrawn fromthe open-lower end of the dispenser. The front wall15'is then opened or pivoted away from thecontainer so that the roll 31 may drop downwardly in I the slot 20g-to the position formerly occupied by the; roll 30.'=-;Becauseof thefact that the portion 25 of the bracket 23 is generally horizontal and also because of the fact that the dowel 32 will have dropped somewhat downwardly in the slot 20, the roll 31 will not move any appreciable amount outwardly with the front wall when it is pivoted away from the dispenser but rather will drop downwardly when the bracket 25 is no longer in supporting position, the dowel 32 moving downwardly in the slots 20. Thus, all that is needed to place the roll 31 in position for dispensing paper is to quickly open the front wall 15 of the dispenser.

The front wall 15 is so balanced with respect to its pivotal mounting 40 that it will not retain a vertical position when the roll 31 is not on the bracket 23. That is, the center of gravity of the front wall 15 and the bracket 23 is located leftwardly of the pivot point 40 as viewed in FIG. 2. Therefore, when there is no roll of paper one roll is exhausted, a second will be readyfor use. It

can alsobe seen that the present invention provides. means for notifying an observer that only a single roll of toilet paper is in the dispenser and that a second roll should be placed therein. Furthermore, the present invention provides atoilet paper dispenser which may be easily and quickly operated ,.to place-asecondroll of paper in dispensing position when arfirst roll :becomes exhausted.

It should be noted that;the'present device may bemoditied in such a manner that the top 11.is'not;pivota1 with relation totthe sidewallslfi :but rather is fixed in place.

Such an embodiment would'probably be somewhat less expensive to manufacturein that. it would not be necessaryyto pivotally. mount the top. Furthermore,this modisired'to be protected.

1 claim: a v

1. A toilet paper dispensercomprising elongated, vertically extending side walls having mutually facing surfaces, said surfaces having a pair of vertical slots therein cated directly oppositely to one another and extending from the top of said walls to points spaced from the bottom of said walls, said surfaces having a pair of horizontal slots thereinlocated directly oppositely to one another and extending from the front of said walls to intersect .said vertical slots, said slots extending only partially throughsaid walls,- a pair of dowels of a suitable size for passage through-said slots with one end of a respective dowel in the slots of one of said side walls and the other end of the dowelin the opposite slots of the other side wall, a front wall pivotally connected attthe bottom thereof to the bottoms of said side walls in such a manner that said front wall may be pivoted upwardly and toward said side walls to a vertical position to close the forward end of said dispenser, a bracket adapted to support a roll of paper, said-brackettbeing fixed to said front wall and having a free end arranged to extend :generally-horizontally between said sidewalls when said front wall is vertical, said front wall and; the bracket secured thereto having their composite center of gravity forwardly of said pivotal connection when the front wall is in a vertical position,'-said front wall and the bracket secured thereto being so proportioned and arranged that the composite center of gravity of the front Wall, bracket and a roll of paper supported on said bracket is rearward of said pivotal connection, and a top wall mounted upon said side walls and pivotal thereupon to allow access to the upper ends of said vertical slots.

2. A toiletpaper dispenser comprising a container constructed for holding a first roll of paper in position for dispensingv paper, a ,front wall pivotally mounted at the bottom thereof upon said container and closing the front of said container, a second roll of paper, a bracket fixed to said front Wall, located inside of'saidcontainer and holding said secondroll of .paper, said front wall-and the bracket secured thereto being so balanced wtih respect to the pivotal mounting of the front wall that said front wall is held in container front closing relationby said second roll of paper on saidbracket and-automatically pivots to maintain the container front open when said second roll of paper is removed from said bracket.

3. A toilet paper dispenser comprising elongated, vertically extending side walls having mutually facing surfaces, said surfaces having a pair of vertical slots therein located directly oppositely'to one another, said surfaceshaving a pair of horizontal slots therein located directly oppositely to one another and extending from the frontof said walls to intersect said vertical slots, said slots being adapted for passage of dowels therethroug-h with one end ofa respective dowel in the slots of one of said sidewalls and the other end of the dowel in the opposite slots ofthe other side wall, a front wall pivotally connected at the bottom thereof to the bottoms of said side walls in such a manner that said front wall may be pivoted upwardly and toward said side walls to close the forward end of said dispenser and a bracket adapted to support a roll of paper,

said bracket being fixed to saidfront wall in such a manner as to extend between said side walls when said front wall is vertical said front wall and the bracket secured thereto having their composite center of gravity forwardly of'said pivotal connection when the front wall is in a vertical position, said front wall and the bracket secured thereto being so proportioned and arranged that the composite center of gravity of the front wall, bracket and a roll of paper supported on said bracket is rearward of said pivotal connection.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Dunnell Apr. 18, 1939 2,550,209 Tuttle Apr. 24, 1951 2,605,975 Page et a1. Aug. 5, 1952 2,683,569 Morse July 13, 1954 

